The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-28


State Textbooks.
To the Editor OF the Indiana olis Journal:
The Peasants House DILL proposes to embark
the State in scheme of publishing and selling
school textbooks. for the sake of cheapening
them to the people Substantially the same plan
is now in operation in Minnesota and California.
and is signal failure The list-prices of Min
| nesota books are lower, with few exceptions,
than the prices of corresponding books in In
diana, but the expense of furnishing pupils
complete list of books is greater than in our
State The textbooks Minnesota pupil would
use from the day he first entered school until he
passed out at the end of the common-school
course cost the parent $40 20 against So 90 in the
schools of Putnam county, this State. The lat
| ter is the entireeost of the Indiana books while
| the Minnesota books cost besides the $40 2a
charged the parent, so cents commission to the
agent. and 50 cents freight and cost Of handling,
| etc. making a total of $11. 80.
No account is taken of the interest on the
States. county's and school districts money
| qured to conduct the business, nor of necessary
| losses by over orders and wrong orders, nor of
| the salary of the officers who carry on the bust
| ness. No account is taken of losses from un-
| avoidable official dishones.T.
The larger cost of the Minnesota books is
caused in part by the dead fxity of one series of
| books for fifteen years, which compels those
| who sworn to enforce the text book law to
| evade its provisions by putting in additional
| books under the subterfuge of supplementary"
| books. Besides this, the books flimsily and
cheaply gotten up thereby lasting only about
| half as long AS the Indiana books.
| The Minnesota system is immensely unpopu
| lar with all classes of people similar meas
| ure was before the iowa Legislature the winter
| of 1SS3-84 and the education committee sent a
circular to all classes of people, inquring to the
| success of the Minnesota system. Out of forty
| to sixty replies. only two were favorable. Two
1 % pv,11 oil <tn n,,l I'D
| districts comprised in towns and cities have ut
| tery repudiated the law. The progress and
efficiency Of the schools seriously hindered
| by the great dislike of teachers for the inhexi-
bilitv, non -progressiveness and red tape of the
| system. For verfcation of these statements
| ipquirers are referred to the teachers, school
| officers and people of Minnesota.
| The California situation is substantially the
! same, except that the State is loaded with what
| usually turns out cink-hoe of official pecula-
| ton and bunglng State Lrnting-office.
| The book houses need regulating not prohi-
| bition A plan that will secure honest competi-
| ton and stop corrupt influences in the choice of
| books is what is needed. Let the county super
| intendent principal superintendent Of the
largest town or city school system and the chair
| man of the Board of County Commissioners be
| a board to select series of textbooks for the
| usual period of six years They should fix a
! reasonable price at which each one shall be sold,
| and then invite publishers to compete for the
| supplying of books, the provso existing that
| choice shall be made with not less than three
| firms competing; and that the firm to which the
contract is awarded shall obIigate itself not to
| sell to dealers who are proven not to observe
State list prices
Or let us have choice by this board under the
same conditions with scale of prices fixed by
law these prices being determined by the S tate
| Board of Education.
Both plans would insure honest competition and
prevent extortion. They insure freedom and ad
instability to circumstances, of which
things are likely TO be secured by State text
book system. Slick.
Open Letter the kurnel.
Colonel I. b. Mcdonald. indianapolis, Ind:
Dear Strive have just heard with indignan
amazement of the assault made upon your per
son Yesterday in the Senate chamber, where 20,
have the same rights that Colonel Robertso,
has. Upon receipt Of the news we immediatel,
proceeded to organize a company of your oh
commissary veterans. We are mad, Colonel
very mad. Do you hearq We are ready TO
marching orders. Say the word and we start a
once for the scene of your recent encounter, an
right where the sow-belly was torn from you
nose we will saturate the ground with the bloc
of tho enemy. We are the men who supports
you in the commissary department We are tn
. men who stood shoulder to shoulder by you an
saw the tears in your eyes when you sold you
D last pound Of sow-belly for dollar. when you di
? not know whether there was another SOW with
= | a 1000 miles of the transaction. What hei oisn
Q We are men who stood by holding your Goa
Q and hat while you Saved the wagon-train
u We are the men who saw you do more fight
t ing than did General Pope" We are tn
men who saw you holding General Hancock
!, horse by the hour. We tho men who a
f tended in q body the celebrated 'sword pr
y sentation' made in Columbia City We are tn
8 men who have patiently waited your own 200
d time to prove that you did not purchase tn
; sword and have it engraved at your own g:
% pense and brand liars those who say 20
did.
i We are the men who have repeatedly rea
d your "horse letter" to A. j. Douglas, wherei
lie you requested him to purchase a horse an
Of have him presented to you upon your retul
10 make it 'sall square, Alex" We have stoo
m by you through thick and thin. We have see
le YOU defeated in this Democratic county
g, seven hundred votes We have known You
k, seek and accept nomination on the corporate
m ticket at hand OF the Republicans, and SCI
n YOU defeated. We have seen you held up
as scorn and ridicue as the Immortal j. NJ"
re Indiana politics, and to the sum total of o.
70 suffering loyalty to You, We ha
rs listened to many Of your speeches. TT
1t above are but few of the mai
reasons why appeal to you to 81
% unto us, Come and avenge my wrongs." The
re indeed will we prove our loyalty to you. r
ad every atom of sow belly taken by ruthless han
lat from your beloved military nose. we "
e. demand a pound of flesh. We will bring 20
sword-the one with the thirteen hard -fouR
Dill battles-and military clothes. We will have t
horse letter framed and carry it in the proc'